Top 3 Website Mistakes Made by Small Business Owners
Small business owners are the engine of the U.S economy, and as a group, they rightly have a great deal to be proud of. When it comes to their company’s website however, their past success can be a hindrance.
As someone who often works with small business owners, below are the 3 most common mistakes we correct on their websites.
Mistake #1: Too much information on the home page
Because they have so much personally invested in their company’s accomplishments they place everything, including the kitchen sink, on their home page. Every service, every product, every press item, they want to find a way for it to all be front and center. Unfortunately, that leaves a home page where nothing stands out and users have no idea where to look.
A properly designed home page creates interest and drives users further into the site. That’s it. The rest of the website provides additional detail in the areas, products, or services that interest the user.
A home page should introduce users to the company, and tell them quickly (within 3 seconds):
- What this company does
- Why they should spend more time on this site (Point of Difference)
- Where they should click to get more details for whatever product or service they are interested in.
Mistake #2: Pride and emotion driving website decisions
Many small business owners are emotionally invested in and proud of their businesses, as they should be. They have had to trust their instincts on the road to success.
When it comes to their website, for many it is outside their area of expertise. This is not true only from a technical standpoint, but from a business standpoint as well. This is one area where industry knowledge, instincts and knowing their customers may not be enough.
Understanding how users behave online is a critical component when making decisions that affect a website.
- Gather data (through Google Analytics or other analytic tool), analyze the data, and understand how people are interacting with your site.
- Do an online competitive analysis. Know who your competitors are when potential clients search for the products or services you provide. You may be surprised to find your online competitors are different from your offline competition.
- Get to know your online competitor’s websites. Are theirs easier to use, or easier to understand?
Armed with accurate data and not emotion, you can make decisions that are right for your business and your website.
Mistake #3: Website content written using internal company language
The best use of a website is as a place where potential customers, who are looking for products or services like yours but who don’t know you exist, can find you. The website will introduce your business to potential customers. If it speaks to users who have never heard of your company, you can rest assured it is useful to those that have.
In order to write content that speaks to complete strangers make sure you do not use:
- Internal company language (every business has some forms of short hand)
- Industry acronyms (you’ll lose out on those new to the industry)
- Colorful language that is cute or funny to those who know you (outsiders may not get it or find it cute)
Read your website content and ask yourself, if I were speaking to a total stranger at a party, is this exactly how I would describe my business? And if so, would they understand it or would I need to explain further. If you would need to provide additional explanation, then the content will not be clear to a new user. Unfortunately, online you will not have the opportunity to clarify, because the user will have already clicked off your site and on to a competitor’s.
Take some time to look at your website with fresh eyes the way a new visitor would. If you find your site has any of these common mistakes, rest assured that you are not alone. Then, create a plan to fix them. Once you have tackled these problems, you will see how much more powerful a business tool your website can be.
